Adjustable suspending means for receptacles



Nov. 1, 1955 R, w, TlTM s 2,722,394

ADJUSTABLE SUSPENDING MEANS FOR RECEPTACLES Filed Sept. 17. 1952 13:; 352 353' 1 33 t: :f I: I51 E2 INVENTOR lll 30 .ZEEca/NALD PV. TTMAS BY I WWW ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 2,722,394 Patented Nov. 1, 1955 ADJUSTABLE SUSPENDING MEANS FOR RECEPTACLES Reginald W. Titmas, Spartanburg, S. C.

Application September 17, 1952, Serial'No. 309,938

9 Claims. (Cl. 248-224.)

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 131,679 filedDecember 7, 1949, now abandoned.

The invention relates generally to dispensers-used in toilet flush tanks for supplying to the water in the tank,

each time the toilet is flushed, a small quantity of a liquid which has sterilizing, disinfecting, deodorizing and/or cleansing properties, such dispensers being of the type shown in the E. A. Strattrnan Patent No. 2,021,110

One object of the invention is to provide an extremely simple and practical device of this character-which will .permit the chemical liquid tank or reservoir tobeproperly suspended from the upper edge of at least one of the four, walls of the flush ta-nkwithout interference with any of the tank fittings, so that the dispenser may be, I

mounted in any of the present day toilet tanks.

.Another object of the invention is to provide a suspending means for the reservoir employing a single detachable hanger with a centering connection to the res- .ervoir so that'the latter will be supported in a horizontal position without danger oftilting and whichwhen detached may be placed within the reservoir together with thefloat-valve parts, thus providing -a compact assemblage inserted in a small carton for mailing.

Another object is to provide a single'hanger which is quickly and easily applied to-the reservoir and which willbe removably locked to it by a snap action so that there will be no liability of the reservoir being lifted or moved upwardly from its normal position by the action of waterin the flush tank .upon the fioat valve.

With the above and other objectsand advantagesin View, the invention resides in :the novel combinations .and

arrangements of parts and the novel features of construction hereinafter described andclaimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show the present preferred embodiment of the invention.

Inthe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan .viewof-the dispenser showing .it appliedto a portion of .a wall of a toiletfiush tank, a portion of the hanger being broken away and in sect'ion;

Fig- 2 is a vertical section takenon the line .-22- of .Fig. 3.,is a rear elevation of :the chemical liquid tank or reservoir with a portion broken away;

Fig. 4 is .an enlarged perspective view of thehanger;

. and

Fig.5 is a detail section on line 5- 5 of Fig. 3 but wall of a toilet flush tank or other liquid vtank within which the improved device is suspended. 10 denotes, as a whole, the improved receptacle or container for a liquid L which is to be dispensed into the water or other liquid in the tank T. The liquid L is preferably one which has sterilizing, disinfecting, deodorizing and. cleansing properties, so that the toilet will be kept in a clean, sanitary and odorless condition. A small quantity of this watertreating or chemical liquid is dischargedinto the water of the main tank each time the toiletis flushed, by the float-valve structure which is shown in Fig. 2 and which is claimed in my application Serial No. 153,260 filed March 31, 1950 andissued December 2, 1952 in Patent No. 2,620,097 for Plastic Dispenser for Disinfectants and the Like.

The receptacle or reservoir 10 is in the form of, a. generally rectangular tank molded in one-piece from polystyrene or other suitable plastic which preferably ,has some resilience or elasticity. The reservoir 10 has v.an open top, side walls 14, 15 and end walls 16, 17, said walls being upwardly and outwardly flared and .being united by a curved or dished bottom 18 having a sump or depression 19 adjacent its central portion.

Since toilet flush tanks are of various sizes andconstructions, and contain variously arranged fittings or fixtures, and since it is desirable to suspend the small tank or reservoir 10 according to the normal water level in the tank T, I have provided a novel hanger 20 and means .for connecting it to one upright wall of the reservoir 14), so that the latter may be quickly, easily andprop- ,erly mounted in practicallyany kind of toilet flush tank and withoutregard to the location of the fittings in the same. The hanger 20 preferably comprises a generally rectangular sheet of thin pliant or bendable material such as aluminum which is corrosion resistant or coated to resist corrosion. Its upper portion is adapted to bevbent over and around the upper edge of the flush tank wall T as at 21 in Figs. 1 and 2. Its lowerend is detachably connected to the reservoir as hereinafter described. The reservoir or tank 10 is small as compared to the flush tank since only a very small quantity of the chemical liquid need be discharged into the water eachtimethe toilet is flushed. In its preferred form the reservoir has a length of about 6 inches, a width of about 2 inches andan over-all height of about 2 /2 inches so that it may be enclosed in a small carton. By makingthe hanger detachable it may be placed within the reservoirtogether with the float-valve parts presently described and thus all parts of the dispenser will be compactly arranged in a small carton. The hanger has a width of about 2 inches and a height or length of about 4 inches but is amply long enough to permit at least a portion of its vupper end to be bent over one of the upright walls of the flush tank and have the reservoir disposed above the normal water level in the flush tank. By making the reservoir small and using a single hanger, the devicemay be disposed along either the front wall or the back Wall .or'either of the end walls of the flush tank depending upon the location of the fittings or fixtures within the latter.

The detachable connection between the hanger 20v and the reservoir 10 comprises a pair of laterally opposed hook-like projections 23 engageable with a pair voflaterally opposed lugs 25 formed on at least one of the side waLls of the reservoir. The projections 23 are formed by cutting out angular recesses in the side portions. of the hanger, as will be seen on reference to Fig. 4,.and then bending outwardly the lower ends of thedownwardly extending projections to form the oppositely inclined supporting flanges 24. The latter provide twoupwardly facing shoulders inclined in opposite directions. As shown they are inclined upwardly and inwardly and they are adapted to engagesimilarly inclined loweredges of the lugs 25. The lugs 25 are of triangular shape and are flat and disposed in the same plane which is spaced outwardly, as at,26, from the flat side wall 14 a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the hanger 20, such thickness being preferably .020. The lugs project toward each other from the upper ends of a pair of vertically extending ribs 27 molded on the side wall in horizontally spaced relation. The ribs 27 which stiffen the side wall are equally spaced from the longitudinal center of the wall 14, their spacing being slightly greater than the width of the hanger. By making the width of the hanger approximately one-third of the length of the reservoir, a single hanger may be used. Thus the reservoir and its contents will not only be effectively supported but will be centered on the hanger due to the engagement of the oppositely inclined lower edges of the lugs 25 with the correspondingly inclined supporting shoulders or flanges 24 of the downwardly extending hooklike projections 23. The outer faces of the reenforcing ribs 27 are substantially perpendicular to the flat top of the reservoir, as seen in Fig. 2 and at least their lower ends will bear against the inner face of the flush tank wall T to hold the reservoir substantially level.

For the purpose of locking the reservoir to the hanger so that the action of the water in the flush tank on the float valve will not tend to lift the reservoir, two detents 28 are provided at the side edges of the hanger to snap over the upper edge of the wall 14 just prior to the engagement of the shoulders 24 with the lower edges of the lugs 25. These detents are formed by making small slits 29 in the edges of the hanger and bending rearwardly the metal above the slits. While the aluminum sheet from which the hanger is made is pliable it also has a slight amount of resilience or elasticity. However, the aluminum sheet, which has a rather snug fit between the lugs 25 and the opposed portions of the wall 14, is placed under some tension by bending rearwardly the lower edge of the sheet to form a horizontal flange 30. The edge of this flange engages the outer face of the wall 14 after the upper end of the hanger has been slid upwardly beneath the lugs 25. The width of the flange 30 is such that the lower portion of the hanger is placed under slight tension and when the detents 28 pass above the upper edge of the wall 14 they will snap over or above the latter. Thus the reservoir will be locked to the hanger and can have no substantial vertical movement upon it after the detents are disposed above the upper edge of the wall 14. The hanger 20 will be shipped to the purchaser in the condition shown in Fig. 4, and all the user has to do is to upwardly insert the upper end of the hanger beneath the lugs 25 and slide it upwardly until the detents pass above the top of the wall 14 and the shoulders 24 are engaged with the lower edges of the lugs. The legend This Side Out is stamped on the hanger to insure the proper engagement of it with the reservoir by the user. The two circular holes in the hanger shown in Fig. 4 are provided merely to facilitate its manufacture.

The float valve structure shown in Fig- 2 forms the subject matter of my above noted Patent No. 2,620,097. It comprises a bell shaped float 44 molded on the lower end of the stem 35 of a double valve 36. The stem has a loose sliding fit in a tubular guide 34 depending from a tubular or cup-shaped member 33 into which telescopes a tubular member 30' molded on the center of the bottom 18 of the reservoir. These tubular members are substantially cylindrical but tapered so that they will be held together by friction. A curved or dome-shaped partition 31 extends across the upper portion of the member 30' and its upper surface forms a part of the sump or depression 19. The telescoped members, and the partition form a measuring chamber 32 in which the valve 36 moves between two seats 38 and 43. The seat 38 is an annular bead formed on the bottom of the partition 31 around an outlet opening 39 of the reservoir. The seat 43 is an annular bead formed on the bottom of the cup or member 33 around the opening through the guide tube 34. While the double valve may be a ball it is preferably of the disk type and cemented on the upper end of the stem 35. In the top of the cylindrical valve head 36 is a socket to receive an elastic plug of neoprene or the like to engage the seat or bead 38 to effectively pre vent the passage of the liquid through the valve opening 39. On the bottom of the head 36 is an annular groove 46 to receive the lower seat 43 when the valve is in its lower position.

The dispensing reservoir is suspended in the flush tank so that the normal water level is a little below the bottom of the reservoir as seen in Fig. 2. That may be easily done after the hanger is fastened to the reservoir by bending more or less of the upper portion 21 of the hanger over the top of one wall of the flush tank. The float 44 being thus submerged will hold the valve on the upper seat. When the toilet is flushed, the float will descend as the water level drops, and the valve will then move into engagement with the lower seat and permit the liquid in the reservoir to fill the measuring chamber 32. As the flush tank refills the float will move upwardly to force the valve against the upper seat and the small amount of liquid in the measuring chamber will flow down into the water between the stem and its guide as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. That operation of the valve is repeated each time the flush tank is emptied and refilled.

It will be noted that the hanger provides an extremely simple, inexpensive and effective means for quickly and easily suspending the reservoir at the proper level in any accessible space around the upright wall of the flush tank. The dispenser may therefore be mounted in any of the flush tanks now in use, and no tools are required to assemble the parts or mount the reservoir, although when the hanger is applied to the front or an exposed end wall and its bent end extends below the rim on the flush tank cover (not shown) a pair of shears may be used to cut off the protruding end of the hanger so that the device will not mar the appearance of the tank.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects of the invention, and while preferences have been disclosed, attention is invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. Means for adjustably and removably suspending a liquid receptacle from the upper edge of an upright wall of a toilet flush tank to support the receptacle relative to the normal water level in the tank, said means comprising a receptacle of horizontally elongated form with a flat side wall co-extensive in length with the receptacle to extend substantially parallel with one of the tank walls, a single upright hanger made of a relatively wide sheet of thin pliable metal and of substantially rectangular shape, the width of said hanger sheet being approximately one-third of the length of said receptacle, coacting means at the lower end of said hanger sheet and at the central portion of the outer face of said side wall of the receptacle removably supporting the latter horizontally in a longitudinally centered position across the lower portion of the hanger sheet with the major portion of the latter projecting above said side wall, the projecting upper portion of the hanger sheet being bendable transversely at diflerent distances above the receptacle to extend around and conform to the shape of the upper edge of the tank wall to adjustably position the receptacle relative to the water level in the tank, said coacting means comprising a pair of laterally opposed flanges projecting from the outer face of the lower portion of the hanger sheet, said flanges extending inwardly from the side edges of the hanger sheet and being inclined in opposite directions to provide upwardly facing shoulders to center and support the receptacle on the hanger ams . sheet' a, pair ofpafallel ribs-l. onlh outer. face .of f the :side wall extending downwardly .L'from... the stop of the receptacle, said ribs being spaced apart a distance slightly .greater thanthe widthof saidhangersheet to: slidably receive the latterbetweenthern andtbeing: equally spaced from the respective ends of the receptacles andv means retaining .the.hanger sheet between said'ribs, the last mentioned means .includingflatlugs on said :ribs and projecting inwardly toward each other. in laterally op- ,posed. relation, said lugs having their bottom edges oppositely inclined for engagement with the vinclined supporting shoulders formed by said flanges to center the receptacle on the hanger sheet when the. latter is upwardly moved beneath, said lugs.

.2. The structure of claim -1 together with detent and bending rearwardly one side of each slit, said 'detents being positionedabove said flangesto snap oven'thetop edge of the receptacle just prior to the engagement of said flanges' with said lugs, and a tensioning'flange extending across the bottom ofsaidhanger sheet and projecting rearwardly therefrom 'to thrust against the said side-wall of the receptacle w-henthe hanger sheet is mounted thereon.

4. In a detachable interlocking connection between a receptacle and a suspending hanger therefor, a receptacle of plastic material having an upright side wall, a pair of laterally spaced and parallel reenforcing ribs integral with the exterior of said side wall and extending downwardly from the top of the receptacle, a pair of laterally opposed lugs integral with the top portions of said ribs and extending inwardly toward each other, said lugs being of flat triangular shape and spaced from the side wall by said ribs, the bottom edges of said lugs being inclined upwardly and inwardly, a substantially rectangular hanger sheet of thin pliable metal having a width slightly less than the spacing of said lugs from the opposed portions of the side wall, a pair of receptacle supporting flanges projecting outwardly from the front face of the lower portion of the hanger sheet, said flanges being in laterally opposed relation and extending up wardly and inwardly from the side edges of the hanger sheet at angles corresponding to the bottom edges of said lugs to form supporting shoulders for the receptacle, the upper part of the hanger sheet being flat and insertable in an upward direction beneath said lugs, while being guided by said ribs, until said flanges engage said lugs and the major portion of the hanger sheet projects above the receptacle, the projecting upper part of the hanger sheet being bendable transversely at different distances above the top of receptacle to conform to the shape of the upper edge of a supporting wall, a detent on at least one side edge of said hanger sheet formed by slitting the edge and bending rearwardly one side of the slit, said detent being above one of said flanges to snap above the top of said side wall just priorto the engagement of said flanges with said lugs, and a tensioning flange extending across the bottom of the hanger sheet and projecting rearwardly to thrust against said side wall when the receptacle and hanger sheet are assembled.

5. Means for adjustably and removably suspending a liquid receptacle from the upper edge of an upright wall of a toilet flush tank to adjustably support the receptacle relative to the normal water level in the tank, said means comprising a receptacle of plastic material and of generally rectangular shape with a flat side wall to extend substantially parallel with one of the walls of the tank,

or vsaidsheet andrarranged in transversely opposed rela- ,tion,-rthe.v lower ends of said projections being bent outa. single upright hanger disposed at saidt-side swallnmidway of vthe ends of. thereceptacle and projecting above the latter, said rhanger being .a. substantially rectangular sheet of and pliable .me'talandhaving. a width substantially one-third of the length of the receptacle,1a .pair

. of wall-reenforcingand hanger-guiding upright ribs integral with theouter 'face of said side wa'llsand r ojecting downwardly. from its upper.edge.,.said.ribs'fbeing equally spaced fromthe respective ends of the receptacle and spacedapart a distance slightly greater than the width .ofsaidhangersheeLa pair of hanger-engaging lugs integral withthe upper portions of. said ribs and projecting inwardly toward each otherin opposed relation, said lugs being Iflatand spacedrfrom said sidewall by said ribs a distance equal to the thicknessyof-gsaid hanger sheet,.said lugs being triangular in outline-and having their bottom, edges inclined upwardlyand tinwardly, the lowerportion 'of said .hanger sheet having in itsside edges angular cutsto. provide along its sides two downwardly-extending,projections disposed. in the plane .wardly on diagonal lines to provide two upwardly-facing receptacle-supporting flanges whichextend from the side @edgesvofthe hanger sheet inwardly in opposed. relation and which arelinclined .in oppositetdirections-v, to correspond.iwith. said inclined bottom edges of the lugs, the ,upper part of =the:hanger sheet being flat and vinsertable tin-ran upward direction beneathsaidlugs, whilebeing guided by said ribs, until said flanges engage. said lugs strand the major portion-ofuthe hanger sheet projects above .the receptacle, the projecting upper, part of the hanger sheet beingabendable transverselywat ditferenttdistances above the top of the receptacle to conform to the shape of the upper edge of the tank wall to adjustably position the receptacle relative to the water level in the tank.

6. Means for adjustably and removably suspending a liquid receptacle from the top of an upright wall of a flush tank to support the receptacle relative to the normal water level in the tank, comprising a receptacle of plastic material and of generally rectangular shape with a fiat side wall to extend parallel with one of the walls of the tank, a single upright hanger disposed at said side wall midway of the ends of the receptacle, said hanger being a substantially rectangular sheet of pliant metal and having a width substantially one-third of the length of the receptacle, a pair of hanger-guiding upright ribs on the outer face of said side wall equally spaced from the ends of the receptacle and spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the width of said hanger sheet, a pair of'hanger-engaging lugs on said ribs and projecting inwardly toward each other in opposed relation, said lugs being flat and spaced from said side wall by said ribs a distance slightly greater than the thickness of said hanger sheet, the bottom edges of said lugs being inclined in opposite directions, said hanger sheet being insertable in an upward direction between said ribs and between said lugs and the opposed portions of said side wall, the lower portion of said hanger sheet being provided along its side edges with two downwardly-extending projections disposed in transversely opposed relation, the lower portions of said projections being bent outwardly on diagonal lines to provide two upwardlyfacing receptacle-supporting shoulders which extend from the side edges of the hanger sheet inwardly in opposed relation and which are inclined in opposite directions to correspond with said inclined bottom edges of the lugs, whereby when the hanger is associated with the receptacle, said shoulders will engage the bottom edges of said lugs to center the receptacle on the hanger and to prevent longitudinal tilting of the receptacle relative to the hanger, the upper portion of the hanger sheet being bendable transversely at different distances above said shoulders to extend around and conform to the upper edge of the tank wall to adjustably position the terial, a pair of upright ribs on the outer face of said side wall spaced apart slightly greater than the width of said hanger sheet, a pair of hanger-engaging lugs on said ribs and extending inwardly toward each other in opposed relation, said lugs being spaced from said side wall by said ribs a distance slightly greater than the thickness of said hanger sheet, the bottom edges of said lugs being inclined in opposite directions, the top of said hanger sheet being insertable in an upward direction between said ribs and between said lugs and the opposed portions of said side wall, two diagonally inclined flanges projecting outwardly from the lower portion of the hanger sheet and forming two upwardly-facing receptacle-supporting shoulders which extend from the side edges of the hanger sheet inwardly in opposed relation and which are inclined in opposite directions to correspond with said inclined bottom edges of the lugs, whereby when the hanger is associated with the receptacle, said shoulders will engage the bottom edges of said lugs to center the receptacle on the hanger and to prevent longitudinal tilting of the receptacle relative to the hanger, the portion of the hanger sheet projecting above the receptacle being bendable transversely at different distances above said shoulders to extend around and conform to the shape of upper edge of the tank wall to adjustably position the receptacle relative to the water level in the tank.

8. The structure of claim 7 in which the pliant sheet forming said hanger-has a slight degree of resiliency, together with detent means to prevent accidental upward movement of the receptacle on the hanger after they are assembled, said detent means being formed by slitting at least one side edge of the hanger sheet and bending one side of the slit rearwardly to provide a detent which snaps over the top edge of the receptacle side wall just prior to the engagement of said flanges with said lugs.

9. The structure of claim 8 together with a tensioning flange extending across the bottom of said hanger sheet and projecting rearwardly therefrom to thrust against the said side wall of the receptacle when the hanger sheet is mounted thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 839,654 Seachrest Dec. 25, 1906 1,103,491 Cormier July 14, 1914 1,788,464 Kederis et al. Jan. 13, 1931 1,790,977 De Boer Feb. 3, 1931 1,818,284 Stephens Aug. 11, 1931 2,210,235 Filbert Aug. 6, 1940 2,322,704 Seltzer June 22, 1943 2,367,599 Nelson Jan. 16, 1945 2,427,335 Antonia et a1. Sept. 16, 1947 2,448,137 Cody Aug. 31, 1948 2,595,752 Batts May 6, 1952 

